1. Technical Field
The embodiments described herein relate generally to handheld electronic devices and, more particularly, to a handheld electronic device and associated method that provides an indication to a user thereof of the quality of the current conditions for performing voice over IP communications using the handheld electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples of such handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal data assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like. Such handheld electronic devices are generally intended to be portable and thus are relatively small. Examples of handheld electronic devices are included in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,452,588 and 6,489,950.
Many handheld electronic devices include and provide access to a wide range of integrated applications, including, without limitation, email, telephone, short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), browser, calendar and address book applications, such that a user can easily manage information and communications from a single, integrated device. These applications are typically selectively accessible and executable through a user interface that allows a user to easily navigate among and within these applications.
Traditionally, handheld electronic devices that include telephone functionality do so using cellular technology and systems which implement circuit-switched voice telephone communications via cellular radio channels. In cellular systems, large geographic areas are divided into smaller coverage areas called cells. Each cell includes a base station that handles calls on different channels and communicates with a central processing unit, called a switch or terminal, to facilitate the handing-off of calls from one cell to another as a user moves through the system.
Another type of telephony technology that is gaining in popularity and is being implemented with increased frequency in handheld electronic devices is known as voice over IP (VoIP). Unlike cellular technology, VoIP is not a circuit-switched system. Instead, VoIP provides voice telephony services over Internet Protocol (IP) connections. IP is a connectionless best-effort packet switching protocol that provides packet routing, fragmentation and re-assembly of data, such as voice data in a VoIP system, through the data link layer. VoIP can be implemented both in a wired and a wireless system, with the latter being utilized most frequently in handheld electronic devices.
A problem that exists with current wireless VoIP systems is that, because voice packets are sent on a best-efforts basis, network congestion can interfere with voice communications even though the wireless coverage/signal is good. Typically, users of handheld electronic devices that include VoIP telephony functionality will attempt a call without knowing the extent to which the network is being used, i.e., its level of congestion. Thus, if the network is highly congested, the users will likely experience poor voice quality on the attempted VoIP call. However, because the strength of the wireless signal may be good (as indicated by the signal strength indicator provided on the device), users will typically become confused and blame the poor voice quality on the phone hardware.
One way in which VoIP technology may be implemented is in conjunction with WiFi systems wherein VoIP calls are transmitted over 802.11 WiFi networks. In such an implementation, a caller is able to make a connection using a local wireless Internet access point. In the future, Quality of Service (QoS) protocols, such as WiFi's Admission Control/T-spec bandwidth reservation system will allow voice calls to run more smoothly over 802.11 systems. The normal procedure under such a protocol that includes a bandwidth reservation system includes the following steps: (i) request bandwidth for a voice call, (ii) receive bandwidth allocation for the call, (iii) place the call, (iv) when finished, end the call, and (v) relinquish the bandwidth allocation. If the bandwidth reservation system is implemented properly, the call will go through clearly even if there are concurrent spurts of high volume data being communicated on the same network. There are, however, cases where the requested bandwidth cannot be guaranteed due to call volumes. In particular, in some cases, after the bandwidth allocation is requested, it may be denied due to insufficient resources. Not withstanding this fact, some VoIP enabled phones may be programmed to place the call anyway on a best-effort basis (for example, in the case of an emergency call). Of course, in such a case, there may be poor voice quality which again a user may blame on the phone hardware.
Thus, there is a need for an improved handheld electronic device that provides an indication to a user thereof of the quality of the current conditions for performing VoIP communications using the handheld electronic device.